Friend?
by Antinom
Summary: Rei wants to be Yuma's best friend. However, Yuma has so many friends. How can Rei live with that... Poor child, Rei only wants the best for his friend...
1. Chapter 1

I finally made it. Here it is, the English version of "Friend". My sincere thanks to **Raven Obscura Escurida****o** and particularly to **Photon Drake.**

I really hope you like this story... If you do, please review it.

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**Friend?**

"Yuma-kun!" cried Rei, but it was just a dream. Perhaps the friendship that Yuma had with him was not strong enough? Was he not really a good friend? Maybe...

Rei laid up every night and often questioned without end, "Why?"

Yuma rarely gave him the attention he needed. After all they were friends! And friends, to Rei, should be valued just right and Yuma was not doing it. Rei followed him everywhere, constantly supported him, praised him, helped him, tried to cheer him up (it isn't that Yuma needed it ...), and yet, nothing!

Some mere "hellos", "goodbyes", "see ya tomorrows" and little else ... Rei felt hurt.

Why didn't Yuma reciprocate the emotion he gave him?

Why Yuma, why?

After all, he wanted to be Yuma's best friend!

However, did Yuma need more friends?

He had Kotori, Cathy, Shark, Kaito, Bronk, Tokunosuke, Takashi and many more! Some of them have accompanied him since childhood.

Was it impossible? Unthinkable, it was all most unreal! This was strange to Rei. But sometimes Yuma gave him certain compliments, whose meaning was that Rei was a good friend, although signs were scarce and almost empty. At least that was how Rei Shingetsu thought.

It was morning! Another day of school, the most joyful days for Rei, he loved to see his friends, especially Yuma. That day, when Rei saw Yuma, he forgot all about his thoughts and he would just smile at him and participate in the games that would come to Yuma's mind. As the days went by, the friendship between Yuma and Rei was becoming increasingly strong. With each passing day, Yuma had more confidence in Rei, but Rei didn't think so.

Sometimes it saddened Rei that Yuma treated him just like his others friends and it bothered him that Yuma spent (much) more time with Bronk or Shark instead of him. But, he could not do anything. On one hand, he was glad to know that Yuma had so many and such good friends with whom he could spend time. On the other hand, he felt left out because, sometimes, Yuma spent so much time with his other friends that he would forget about him. He was "stabbed behind the back" as Rei would call it. As if that were not enough, there was a week in which poor Rei felt more depressed. During breaks that week (all of them) Yuma left the classroom and he would immediately seek Shark, leaving Rei behind, alone, needing company.

Inside, Rei felt bad because he would always seek his dear friend, that always fled from him, looking for some company, someone who maybe wasn't as "annoying" as Rei was. He waited at the door of the classroom by his friend who had went to find Shark ... and all the times he waited for Yuma, he appeared with Shark (sometimes laughing, sometimes just talking normally without any problem at all, despite being Shark).

Another "stab"… Rei knew that one day school would end and that eventually he would have to leave Yuma, his best friend. Thinking about it made him desolate, soulless!

And this was the life of Rei Shingetsu, a kid who was very fond of Yuma and just wished him the best, a kid who came into the life of Yuma too late, and with a bit of bad luck, will get out of his life soon and probably will never find someone like Yuma, a friend who warmed his heart with his wonderful friendship.

Memories of Astral, in "Friends of Yuma Tsukumo"


	2. Chapter 2

I decided to continue this story and make it a multichapter story... I hope you like it.

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"Is it really worthy? Do humans need to befriend someone in order to live their lives? I still do not know… Here is another page of my "research" about friendship."

Astral

Friendly person called "Friend"

The Christmas holidays had just finished… And Rei was extremely enthusiastic about his first day of school of the New Year… He would see again Yuma, and he would be able to talk to him, to participate in whatever Yuma would like to play. It was a new year and Rei was expecting new developments in friendship with Yuma, maybe he could finally achieve the goal of being Yuma's best friend! However Rei and Yuma had not communicated at all during their holidays and Rei knew that was a bad thing. He would lose Yuma's confidence, Yuma's proximity… And Rei did not want to spend all his life regretting the fact that he was near to lose a friend. Rei was an amazingly interesting person and he always knew what to do, what to say, you know, how to think positive. The thing he most wanted on live was to have friends, to feel the thrilling of living an adventure with his friends. Naturally, he wanted to have a best friend and the best person to be his best friend was, apparently, Yuma.

Rei entered the school, everything looked the same… As he was heading towards the classroom he heard it. It was him. It was his friend Yuma… A sudden feeling of happiness inundated Rei heart. There he was, his friend, talking to someone…Who could it be? He approached Yuma so that he would greet him and he saw Yuma talking with Bronk. Yuma didn't even care about Rei. Again… another "stab". He could not figure out why Yuma would not think of him as an incredibly extraordinary friend, because that how Rei felt about him. Was it in vain? All the energy he had spent on this friendship was being wasted… Yuma simply thought of him as a friend, that is all. But thinking that hurt Rei so much, he knew friendships were not forged, friendships weren't simply created by the will of someone who wanted to have friends. He needed Yuma, and Yuma was just too blind to see it…

During that day it looked like Yuma was trying to avoid Rei, he didn't know why? Could it be that Yuma did not like Yuma company? Rei tried to talk to Yuma, however there so many "friends" around Yuma that Rei simply couldn't do anything; he frightened by the fact that Yuma could simply ignore him, or not even listen to him. During the period of school he just did not talk to Yuma. But things were about to change! They only had school during the morning and during the afternoon he had told Yuma that he was going to the library in order to study for Mathematic. Yuma had agreed on going to "study" to the library. Though, there was a "problem" Rei had already things to do during that afternoon, he had to do "The English Assignment" along with… Shark! It is predictable what was going to happen next… He told Shark that he could not do the assignment that day and he would have to postpone it. Shark was now irate, purely mad at Rei. Still, Rei crossed the line and there was nothing to do about it, at least, that was what Yuma said. He was just fine, he was with his "best friend", Rei could not feel happier. It was even noticeable by the way he laughed at Yuma's jokes, he was emanating joyful feelings whenever he smiled, at that moment the world was just perfect, completely blissful and Yuma and Rei were having a great time.

Nevertheless, we know that all good things come to an end and that precise moments had its seconds counted… But while Rei was with his wonderful friend, he didn't care about the rest…

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Don't forget to review. Thanks for reading...


	3. Chapter 3

Here it is! The new chapter of friend! Enjoy it and tell me your opinion about it.

And as always, many thanks to **Photon Drake.**

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_"A friend to all is a friend to none," I once heard. _

_These words were said by a wise Greek philosopher named Aristotle. _

_In my quest to reach the true meaning of friendship, I tried many times to understand the behavior of Rei Shingetsu. He was a friend of Yuma in such a way that was beyond anyone's understanding._

_-Astral_

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**Maybe Just "Friend"**

Rei could not deal with that situation anymore. Yuma was just ignoring him too much! Maybe it was time to ponder about their friendship. Things were not what they used to be anymore. The time passed upon them and they watched it fading away, feeling powerless. This feeling tormented Rei all the time, making him desperately worthless. He hated to think like that. To think he was losing Yuma to someone else, he had to decide what to do; he would not let that stay in his way to accomplish his mission.

Rei had passed through many bitter experiences (unfortunately) provided by Yuma.

Yuma, the name that made him smile when someone would pronounce those beautiful words. The name of a valiant and adorable friend that once made him think that he could withstand everything life would throw on him. The friendship they shared was already in decline.

With the time passing, Rei understood what was Yuma's main problem, it was the fact that he had too many "friends". Not that having too many friends is a bad thing, the problem was that he was the "same amount of friend" to every friend he had. Therefore, the feeling of uniqueness and feeling important to someone is lost.

If we are not important to someone and we do not make an impact in someone's life. Then we are not needed to that person. Consequently, it is not worthy to establish a connection with that someone. He simply does not care about us and thinks that we should act the same way.

Rei was so lost in his thoughts that he forgot about all the goods moments he and Yuma had spent together. His self-esteem was not the best in the world. Rei would give everything, anything, all that he possessed in order to make Yuma to think he was his best friend.

"Oh, why, why?" asked Rei desperately.

It was enough, he had too much.

He had to put an end to it.

He could not deal with it anymore, it was the end.

By what he said, during the last week Yuma only talked to him two or three times (5 days in which they were constantly seeing one another, sometimes they looked to each other and nothing was transmitted not a word nor a feeling, only empty looks, like they were not even friends!). Rei could not bear that feeling of worthlessness for any longer, the same friend, who told him (apparently) his most intimate secrets, was just being to him what he was to everyone else.

Of course it hurt a lot, it was a pernicious feeling. The fact that he was only a mere "another friend" of Yuma grieved him too much.

Yuma's interactions with Rei were starting to change and Rei decided to do the same, but things were not going as he expected. Apparently, despite being scientifically proven, not talking with someone would not make that someone realize that your absence and therefore make that someone talk to you more.

At least when Rei ignored Yuma for one day, Yuma did not even say a word to him. It was the worst day Rei ever had.

After all, he was just a drop of water in an endless sea.


	4. Chapter 4

First of all: thank you **Photon Drake** for being my beta-reader.

Secondly, I hope you like this chapter, because "something" is about to happen...

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_This page of my diary is quite disturbing, but it is also revealing…._

_-Astral_

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**Rei's Final Decision**

Shingetsu was not going to tolerate Yuma's actions for any longer. It was already too late to do it, but still, it was Rei's last resort. If Rei did that, he could regret it for the rest of his life, not that he could live for doing it.

It was decided: Rei was definitely going to put an end to all his suffering.

It was all Yuma's fault! How could he treat him like that? How could Yuma despise their friendship in such a way that would make Rei suffer so much and in an agonizing way?

He tried to think more clearly about the decision he had to make. Was it to unconscious? Was it a bad decision?

How would that decision affect the little life he would have after it? His head started to hurt, since he could not think now. His mind was too blinded by the friendship that he and Yuma shared…

Poor Rei, his suffering, his pain, his haunting pain, it was destroying him mentally, little by little. "How will Yuma react to my decision?" this thought crossed Rei's mind before he definitely decided to do it.

And so it happened, a blur, a whisper, the sound of the breeze, the serene sound of Nature, the pristine happiness that floated around Rei…

It all ended!

He was no longer a human being… All the lack of attention that Yuma gave him was now shattered in is look, in is void eyes, his expression changed, his smiling face was now a tenebrous and pale face, his clothes were no more clean… They were stained with vanity, with sorrow… his body could be described with the following words:

Surreal hollowness…

The world had stopped to Rei, but everything was still pretty good to Yuma. He did not know anything about Rei, and ever lesser did he know about Rei's last decision.

As Yuma arrived home, a mysterious atmosphere could be felt in the air. "What could it be?" thought Yuma… Little did he know what he was going to discover would scar him for life. An expression of horror was shaped in Yuma's face. What a cruel reality he was seeing? No, it cannot be, it was not possible, is this really real? Yuma fainted…

When Yuma woke up, he noticed something different. Where was Rei? Where was his friend's stabbed body? Several thoughts crossed his mind. Why would Rei do such thing? Why would he kill himself? What problems could he be facing that led him to the annihilation of his life? What crossed Rei's mind that made him do that? Yuma was not feeling good again. The thought of having a friend… a friend… well… having a dead friend was simply horrifying. He noticed also that he was in some kind of a hospital room, but that was everything his senses could perceive. But then, the thought of his friend hit him like a wall and he fainted again...

Yuma was staring at the body of Rei Shingetsu in his hospital bed. He looked at his friend's face and cried.

What a cruel destiny he had... Rei was like an enormous amount of flesh and bones deprived from life. Rei was dead! Yuma decided then to unlock the gate, the gate that told him that he could have a huge power meant to do miracles, however he would lose what was the most precious in his life. But Yuma did not care, he was going to do it for the sake of his friend and all the bonds they had!

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What is going to happen next? _Suspense..._


	5. Chapter 5

It took a while, but here it is. As always many thanks to **Foton Soul**

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_"..."**  
**_

_Astral_

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**"(Ab)normality"**

"-Shingetsu - kun!" cried Yuma, rising quickly in bed. He nervously looked around the room for any signs of anything misplaced. Luckily, everything was normal.

It was just a dream, or maybe it was reality. After all, Rei had actually killed himself.

Why was the world like that? Why was the world so cruel to him? Why did Rei do that, what a stupid decision it was. That was childish! What a stupid friend Rei was… All the time I have spent with him was reduced to nothing and after all he was just an annoying child. He was some sort of a grown up baby that did know how to socialize properly. Therefore, he had almost no friends. Consequently, he had too much higher expectations on his few "true" friends… He was meant to be dead! thought Yuma.

Yuma was in a hospital since he was not feeling well. The image of Rei's dead body was haunting him. He was no longer in a safe mental condition.

What happened after that? He could not remember anything. Where was his Emperor's Key, what had happened that made him lose everything?

The melody of silence was an abhorrent and repugnant symphony. Yuma was surrounded by nothing, literally nothing! Where was the room he was in? Did it simply vanish? How was it possible? Was he in a dream? So many questions and so little answers…

Yuma thought a little bit about his "condition" as a human being. He had had a lot of friends, but none of them was like Rei. The other ones were his friends. He would say everything to those friends and he did not care about it. After all they were friends. He had an enormous capability of making friends. His secret was to tell anything about him to everyone, no matter what!

Therefore, giving them the feeling that they were more special and also they, eventually, were more trustable and sympathetic to his feelings. But, in order to do so, he had to "valorize" less his "secrets", there was almost nothing about his life that his friends did not know about. He was as clear as he water, he was a cascade of "secrets", that other would drink in order to gain his trust.

Everything was just too easy for him and he would never value much his friends, because actually the only real friend that understood him, never asked him anything about his life and did not care about his secrets, cared about the individual that Yuma was, really valued their friendship… was Rei.

His true, unique, original, incredibly fantastic and amazingly wonderful FRIEND!

Life was blinding Yuma, the illusion of other friendships was blinding his sassy and at the same time innocent nature. Yuma did care about his friends, especially Rei. Maybe Rei was not so bad after all, he was just misunderstood.

In the end, it all resumed to the fact that Yuma was not happy about himself; he searched in others the "piece(s)" that he was missing. He felt incomplete, almost soulless.

Nevertheless, he had an apparently good life and an awesome relation with other people. So what was he somewhat of alone? Maybe that is what being human means? Being alone and that feeling of loneliness is a mark that makes us suffer, it is a mark that we all have to bear in order to live. To live is to suffer…

No! It can't be like that, I do not exist to suffer! I do not want to be anything less than miserable pain! I do not want to cause any pain either, I do not want to be a pernicious being, I don't want to become an obnoxious creature! Why Rei? Why did you do that? You did not deserve it; it should have been me instead of you. I am the one who is causing all the suffering, I am the being that made you suffer, I was the stupid one, the cruel mistake was committed by me! I should cease to be! Rei, you were the best friend I have ever had, therefore, I am now going to where you are…

There was a light that surged from nowhere. "Come this way", said the pristine light… The last thing Yuma remembered was that he was holding a knife… Maybe that was life, an eternal state of suffering and now all the suffering simply did not exist…

"No this is not the afterlife, you are not dead, but you are because of a dead person"

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_Suspense_ (again).


	6. Chapter 6

Many thanks to **StardustBlurr**.

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_"I do not need to comment this page. You will soon see why…"_

_Astral_

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**"Futile"**

-Stop it – whispered Astral –Yuma you must not force yourself into believing that you are the cause of the problems that haunt you.

_What was that voice? Was it Astral, was it really Astral? Or am I just losing my mind, am I just being fooled by myself?_

-No, I am actually Astral. I finally made it here! It was difficult for me, I had to overcome all those obstacles and it was really an atrocious task. But what matters is that I am here now. I must help you. You do not know what is happening to you.

-What is it? Am I dreaming? Is Rei dead? Am I real?

-The main thing you have to think of is to keep calm, do not stress out. Well, I am going to explain you everything, however you must not become too anxious or… Never mind! It all happened when you decided to open the gate. I was unable to get out of the Emperor's key due to the fact that our last battle against the Barians was simply too explosive and, consequently, I was not in my best shape to "appear" in this world.

-Astral, keep talking! What is happening to you! Astral …

-Too much energy in order to get here, be careful, think twice before eventually thinking of something… I can't… I am too weak. This is not where I be… (and Astral vanished before ending his last word)

No! Not again, I am alone. I can't stop thinking of death. Rei, the gate and now this! What is happening? Why am I here? Am I still alive? Please someone, help me. This should not be like this, this should not be like this, I must not suffer this much, I must…I must calm down, I must remember what Astral said: Keep calm, above all maintain your quietness, be tranquil. But I can't…I can't, I can't, I can't. Why is everything getting so darker and why is this void so frigid? This frosty feeling is quite peaceful, this glacial breeze is quite warming. Hmmm… My body is starting to get weirdly motionless. What is this feeling? I should let myself go… I should liberate myself…

"-Stop it! You know you acting unconsciously or maybe not. Nevertheless, do you see how ridiculous you look like? You are worthless."

This voice is quite familiar. Who could it be? No! It could not be possible, it was not logical. Was it Rei? That soft and tender voice could only belong to the wonderful Rei.

"Are you Rei?"

-I am what you need, what you most want –replied the voice. I promised to give you what you wanted and, of course, I would get something from you, something prominent in your life, though, in exchange, I will provide you with what you most instantly need. Name something and I will give it to you, yet, consider the consequences, you better think of the possible implications that this decision may bring to your world, your reality.

I do not know…

-You have been here for quite a long time. You probably do not even remember when you first arrived here. Well, I can tell you. You were much more determined, you were more confident, more adventurously capable than you are now. Now you are just a shadow of what you used to be. You are only a shadow, as dark as the void that surrounds you and if you don't decide soon enough…then you shall fall into the Oblivion and, once you are there, well you will be nothing and all the efforts that you made in order to get here, all the energy you have spent in order to overcome all those frightful obstacles, the "life" you have exhausted to get Rei back to life, it all will be in vain… So what do you think about that? Decide soon…

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What will Yuma decide?


	7. Chapter 7

Many thanks to **StardustBlurr**.

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**"Maybe a friend's love"**

-I want you come back, please! Rei I need you, I cannot survive without you! Please help me, anyone? Help me! I do not understand. I can't! Help me! Someone, please!

A sudden breeze invaded the air around Yuma. It was a cold, tearing wind. It made Yuma feel uncomfortable and worse than that he was starting to feel pain in his body. Yuma felt like if someone was sharpening a blade in his arms, that breeze was harmful, it was causing him an agonizing fear. That fear…the fear of being killed at any moment. He was not understanding, again he was lost.

"-Now you understand all the pain you have caused me, all the agony, all the loneliness that haunted me because of you. I really liked you and the only thing you were capable of doing was ignoring, but it was not a normal way of ignoring someone. You ignored me as if you wanted to avoid me, as if I was some sort of bad luck amulet, as if I brought you misfortune. The least thing I wanted to do was that, I really wanted to be your friend, your best friend, however, you decided to raise an imperial iron wall. I was, probably, the only one who really wanted the best for you. How cruel can the destiny be? You are now lost on your own thoughts, you shall soon suffer the excruciating pain that I have suffered. It is not my fault, I do not want you to suffer, however, the part of me that thought that is severely damaged, brutally destroyed. Therefore I have nothing to lose. Hope, despair, it is up to you, I really don't care."

-But, why? - Yuma cried- Why? What have I done? I do not want to die, I want to live. Rei why are you doing this? Is it because I have ignored you too much? I promise I will change, I promise! You have to understand that I have other friends and they need attention, the world is not centered in yourself.

"-You say that because you have plenty of friends, you have enough trustable people, I have nothing, I had you, yet, you have discarded me like if I was not worthy of anything. I am now tired of all the things you say, I may be dead, but I am quite alive in your mind. And, believe me or not, this is the image that you had of me. I am here just to help you deciding whether you unleash the ultimate power. I guess you are not ready yet. – the voice that apparently belonged to Rei transformed, suddenly, in a monstrous roar- So foul being decide your future!"

-Alright, I…I…I… I do not know- Yuma's face was covered with tears, salty tears, tears of solitude, tears of darkness – I can't decide for myself! - Yuma fainted.

Not again, this is such a burden. Rei, I want to bring you back to life, I do not want to think of you as a memory, I want you to be real, I want… I need you and you know that, that is why this time it is decided, I will release the power of darkness. I will let you be again, I want you to exist!

Everything vanished.

Yuma woke up and felt the smooth air that was around him, the softness of a new reality, the brightness of a new future, a delightful future, a future in which Rei belonged. He smiled happy, contented with the new possibilities that this new world could bring to him. The world looked exhilaratingly spectacular! He was in a green field, a pristine landscape and just a few meters from him was Rei laid down on the field near to a beautiful rose. This field was magical, it had something serene and at the same time phantasmagorical. Nevertheless, it was a serene place to be in. The sky looked like it was painted by a skillful painter with traces of a calming yellow and a soothing blue. This field had no trees, only grass and the grass was dancing to the sound of the gorgeous melody played by the wind. This breeze was the only thing that could be heard in this peaceful field. In the horizon the sunset, a mist of calmness could be felt in the air. So Yuma decided to walk towards Rei. When they were close enough Yuma contemplated his friend's handsomeness, then, he bent down and when his face was close enough to his friend's face he looked at the beautiful expression that Rei had in his face. He moved forward and he leaned against Rei whispering the message that was sealed in his heart: "Rei, I really…" The rest was inaudible, because of the wonderful breeze that cuddled this beautiful scene.

**Friend?**

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So feel free to comment about this ending :)


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